The State of Mental Health Care

The current flawed state of the health care system in the United States is serving as a catalyst, exacerbating the already present homeless issue. One of the problems caused by inefficient mental health facilities is the "revolving door" phenomenon. This phenomenon refers to when people with persistent mental illnesses have nowhere to turn but hospitals when their symptoms intensify (Essentials of Psychiatric Health Nursing). However, when these people can no longer afford treatment, they are forced to return to the streets. This becomes a vicious cycle that many people are forced repeat because of how poorly the United States runs its mental health centers. In addition to this, a policy brought about by the Reagan administration changed the way mental health institutions received funding, which in turn severely restricted hospital services to psychiatric clients (Essentials of Psychiatric Health Nursing). This made health care too expensive for many people suffering from mental disorders, forcing them to not receive proper treatment and therefore experience the full brunt of their symptoms. In addition, many of the people suffering from mental illnesses have insufficient funds to get treatment and are ultimately forced to turn to the streets. The current structure of the United States' health care system makes it tend to increase the number of homeless people living with mental health problems.